Blood is thicker than water
by Natta
Summary: Someone unexpected turns up on the ship and makes Dylan think over his feelings for Beka. But what will happen when something is uncovered, something none of them could have known? BekaDylan, set somewhere in the first season.
1. A very unexpected meeting

Blood is thicker than water  
  
By Natta  
  
Beta-reading by Ashley  
  
Summary: Someone unexpected turns up on the ship and makes Dylan think over his feelings for Beka. But what will happen when something is uncovered, something none of them could have known? Beka/Dylan, set somewhere in the first season.  
  
Disclaimer: I own my little sisters. *mom says something* Okay I don't. But I do own Andromeda. Okay, so I don't. All I own is a half bag of really good chocolate. But that's always something.  
  
Rating: Um...PG...this far...lol  
  
Prologue  
  
Beka and Dylan was standing side by side in silence, staring at the stars. None of them wanted to start speaking, the tension between them was too strong and they were afraid that if they said anything now it would destroy the beauty of the moment.  
  
They were both afraid, afraid of listening to their inner voice, afraid of getting hurt again.  
  
So they blocked it out.  
  
They were both scarred, scarred for life from losing people, scarred by love they hadn't been allowed to keep.  
  
So they wouldn't let the scars heal.  
  
They had both lost, Dylan had lost Sarah, Beka so many people she couldn't count them.  
  
So they wouldn't lose again.  
  
And they remained quiet.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
'Dylan, we're receiving a distress call,' Andromeda, the ships AI stated in her normal voice, completely deprived from emotion. Rommie, the avatar, looking identical but with more emotion and more human seemed shocked.  
  
'Dylan,' the ship, it's...it's high guard!' Dylan rushed over to her station and confirmed what she already had told him.  
  
'It seems to be in a bad shape though. Beka, Tyr, you're with me.' He quickly took off toward the hangar bay, where the Maru was waiting for them. Beka rushed up to the pilot's chair and the others waited for her to start. Or rather, Tyr was calmly waiting, leaned against a wall while Dylan paced restlessly, watching the ship accusingly as if blaming it for not getting closer quicker.  
  
'Take it easy Dylan,' said Beka with an amused smile as she gracefully took the ship out of the Andromeda. 'They'll survive a few more seconds, don't worry.' Dylan didn't answer as they now had reached the ship. Apparently, someone had seen them, cause the hangar doors opened and they could dock. Dylan rushed off the ship. Beka and Tyr caught up with him as he ran toward command.  
  
'Don't get your hopes up,' Tyr warned. 'With the condition this ship is in, most of them might be dead.'  
  
'But then again,' Dylan panted, 'maybe they're not, and they could be in need of medical attention. Besides, someone opened those doors.'  
  
'Medical attention. So that's why were running,' Beka commented. 'How do you know your way around this ship?' she asked. 'It's not built the same way as the Andromeda.'  
  
'I've been here before,' Dylan answered. 'This is the Aphendix, I served here in the early years of my career.' When he had finished, they reached command and stopped, out of breath. There were people on the bridge, and a man in a high guard uniform approached them.  
  
'You heard our distress call, our ship is...' But then he stopped and his eyes grew wide. 'Good heavens, it's Captain Hunt! I thought you were lost!' But Dylan barely heard him. His whole attention was turned to another person in the room, someone who now also looked up and acknowledged him.  
  
'Sarah!' was all Dylan could say, eyes wide as if he didn't believe it could be true. The dark-haired woman rushed up to him with unshed tears in her eyes and kissed him deeply. He returned the kiss, but something felt wrong. It wasn't like before, not as it had been. Suddenly, he heard the doors open. He broke the kiss and looked up. Beka was gone and Tyr looked at the closed doors. Dylan scratched his head.  
  
'Tyr, where did Beka go?' Tyr just gave him a glance and left too. Confused, Dylan turned to the man who seemed like the captain.  
  
'Did you see where my first officer went?'  
  
'Your first officer?'  
  
'Yeah, the blonde, black clothes,' Dylan explained.  
  
'Oh. Well, she left. Captain Hunt, I'm requesting permission to take what's left of my crew onboard the Andromeda. Most of them were killed, there's only six of us left. The AI was deleted as well, and the ship is in a very bad condition.'  
  
'Of course,' Dylan said with a strained but warm smile, 'I'll bring you to the Eureka Maru and we'll take you there. We'll also try to repair your ship the best we can, but we need to get back to the Andromeda first.'  
  
****  
  
When Dylan and the small crew entered the Maru, Beka and Tyr seemed to have a quiet discussion, but stopped as soon as he came in. Tyr left his sitting position next to the pilots chair and instead watched their new passengers very closely. They seemed a bit uncomfortable in the Nietchean's company, but none of them said anything. When they had started to go, Sarah smiled at Dylan.  
  
'It's so wonderful to see you again. Honestly, I thought I'd lost you forever.' Dylan smiled at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.  
  
'That child,' he said and pointed to the five-year old who was sitting quietly in a corner, 'Is he an orphan?'  
  
'No,' said Sarah and her smile grew wide. 'Dylan, he's your...he's our son!'  
  
Beka heard the conversation from the pilot's chair and flinched when she heard what Sarah said. A single tear escaped her eye and she quickly wiped it away, praying that no one had seen it.  
  
'A Valentine doesn't cry,' she reminded herself. 'Whatever you do, don't cry. Besides, he was never yours anyway.'  
  
~TBC~ 


	2. And what comes after

Blood is thicker than water  
  
By Natta  
  
Beta-reading by Ashley  
  
Summary: Someone unexpected turns up on the ship and makes Dylan think over his feelings for Beka. But what will happen when something is uncovered, something none of them could have known? Beka/Dylan, set somewhere in the first season.  
  
Disclaimer: Andromeda belongs to god-knows-who and I own nothing. Well I own this story...I think.  
  
When the Maru docked in Andromeda's hangar bay, Dylan shook off the shock and escorted the crew to the med bay to see Trance. He closely watched the little boy who walked with Sarah and looked around him with big eyes.  
  
'Get in here please, and Trance will have a look at you.' The captain of the Aphendix frowned when he saw the purple girl.  
  
'Who is she?' he said to Dylan. 'This is the third person I've seen who's not part of your original crew.' Dylan smiled.  
  
'They are the crew of the Eureka Maru who...saved me when I was frozen in time.' He decided not to mention how they really met. 'This is Trance and you can feel safe with her, don't worry.' He decided to leave the room to try and clear his mind up a bit. He was getting really confused, not only by the fact that he had Sarah back with him and also a son, but also his feelings about it. He should be happy, shouldn't he? His life, his family was back. And all he could feel was that he just wanted things to get back to normal.  
  
'Okay,' he thought, 'it just came as a surprise. I absolutely can't tell Sarah about this, it'd destroy her.' He took a deep breath and continued to walk. He was going to go back with new awoken love and happiness, or that's what he tried to convince himself. When he was on his way back, he saw Beka walk toward him. She had a sad look on her face and when she saw him she turned on her heel and started to walk quickly in the other direction.  
  
'Beka, stop!' he called. There was no way she could claim she didn't hear it, and it seemed like she knew that. She stopped and turned around, slowly and non-willing.  
  
'Beka, what's wrong? You've been avoiding me ever since we got aboard the Aphendix, continuously running away.' She just shrugged and looked at a certainly interesting spot on the wall.  
  
'Nothing. Nothing's wrong.' Dylan didn't believe that, but saw that she wasn't in the mood to talk, so he was ready to go away when he heard her say something under her breath.  
  
'Except for the fact that...' she mumbled the rest so low he couldn't hear it. He turned her head towards her again.  
  
'What fact?' She didn't answer, just bit her lip and looked down at the floor. 'Beka, you know you can talk to me.'  
  
'Not about this,' she whispered and almost looked as she'd start to cry. Dylan was going to hug her and try to make her tell him whatever had happened so that he could help her but she looked up with the tears in her eyes, but also a look that said being hugged was not what she wanted.  
  
'Go to the med bay. You have a fiancée and a child to take care of.' And then she spun on her heel and left. Dylan shook his head in total confusion. Just what was *wrong* with his first officer?  
  
****  
  
Beka went back to the Maru to clear her mind up a bit. She sat down in the pilot's chair and looked at the stars. Ever since she was so little she'd have to climb, she would always get up there and watch the black space when she had a problem or was sad about something. It would always feel better when she did, but not this time. The pain wouldn't stop, and it was worse than any physical, or psychological pain she had ever felt. And for the first time of her life, Beka Valentine let herself cry without trying to stop the tears, and once she had started, the tears never seemed to end. Soon, her whole body was wrecking with sobs, and her shirt was soaked. But she didn't care. Because it felt so good to cry.  
  
****  
  
When Tyr entered the cargo ship, he immediately spotted the blonde pilot in the chair. She was asleep he noticed and when he walked around her he saw her face was tearstained and her eyes were red and puffy. Even her shirt was wet, and he understood that she had been crying for hours. He smiled a sad little smile. He had noticed the tension between Beka and Captain Hunt, and even though he was a bit jealous, he considered the meeting with Sarah a tragedy. He knew Beka and him would be a bad match, even though they were very much alike. Maybe they were too much alike. Dylan would be perfect for Beka, but now that his fiancée had returned it might never happen. Or as Trance would say: It spoiled the perfect possible future. He shook his head so the dreadlocks danced on his back and then lift her sleeping form up. She wasn't heavy and he was strong, so it was an easy thing for him to carry her all the way to her quarters onboard the Andromeda and put her on her bed.  
  
'I really have to talk to her tomorrow,' he thought and shot her one last glance before closing the doors behind him and leaving her alone with the darkness.  
  
****  
  
Dylan had returned to the med bay, where Trance stated that all the crewmembers were just fine and they should be assigned quarters. Dylan had no problem with giving them that, they had so many spare quarters they could probably start renting them out soon. Last of all, he came to Sarah and the little boy. He hesitated. He knew she expected to stay in his quarters, but he just felt wrong about that. He simply didn't want them to sleep together. Apparently, she read the feelings on her face and smiled warmly.  
  
'I understand. You feel uncomfortable with having me in your quarters aboard this ship and you don't know how to say it.' Dylan smiled, relieved.  
  
'I'm glad you do. I think I just need some time to adjust.' He looked at the boy so he wouldn't hear, but he was preoccupied with looking at Trance's tail while she worked, so he leaned in a bit closer and whispered to her, 'and I have a feeling your,' he corrected himself, 'our son does too. This must all be very new to him.' She nodded and smiled. Then she called for the boy with the name Ethan.  
  
'Ethan,' Dylan thought. 'So that's his name.' He looked at the boy and try to see himself in him, but it was hard. He only had his mouth. The rest was almost an exact copy of Sarah.  
  
~TBC~  
  
Q&A  
  
Dragonmyst: Very good start. I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the story.  
  
Natta: Wow, I'm so happy you're reading my story, cuz I love yours and it's like having your role model reading your work.  
  
MaryRose: Oh, great start. Poor Beka. I can't wait to read more.  
  
Natta: Well, here you go. I think you reviewed my other story too?  
  
Iara: This is an amazing story! I can't wait to find out what happens next!  
  
Natta: Thanks and here's what happens.: )  
  
Kira6: I loved it. I can't wait for more. I think it's a very interesting idea and I love the whole Dylan/Beka pairing...There isn't enough of them out there...Keep up the good work and you got yourself a loyal fan...  
  
Natta: Whey, I've got a fan! : D 


	3. The morning after, sort of

Blood is thicker than water  
  
By Natta  
  
Beta-reading by Ashley  
  
Summary: Someone unexpected turns up on the ship and makes Dylan think over his feelings for Beka. But what will happen when something is uncovered, something none of them could have known? Beka/Dylan, set somewhere in the first season.  
  
Disclaimer: Tribune entertainment owns Andromeda and the rest of the world. They also rule the universe and everyone within it, including you and me. This story is in fact a cry for help and don't see it for anything else.  
  
Beka woke up and found herself in her quarters aboard the Andromeda. Strange, she couldn't remember going to bed last night, and she was still dressed. The last thing she remembered was sitting in the Maru, practically crying her eyes out. She swung her legs down on the floor and rose. The clock showed 06.52, so the alarm call would start in just a few minutes. She turned it off and went to take a shower. When she stopped in front of the mirror, she flinched and took a step back at the sight of her face in the mirror. The traces of her crying last night was still crystal clear. She leaned forward and wrinkled her nose.  
  
'Well,' she thought, 'now I know why I never cry. I look awful.' She decided that a shower and some make-up would make it better. She slipped out of her wrinkled and tearstained clothes, and got in the shower. A sigh of pleasure escaped her lips as she felt the hot water streaming down her body.  
  
'I could stand here forever,' she thought absent-minded, but then reality came in, and she reluctantly turned the water off, after washing herself.  
  
'Maybe Dylan would come here and get me if I wasn't there on time,' she thought with a smirk. 'And I'd be in the shower, now that's an interesting idea.' Then her smile disappeared. Dylan. He was the reason she'd been crying like that last night. Sarah. Sarah and Dylan together again. What a happy ending. She felt the tears form behind her eyes again, but furiously blinked them away. She was not going to cry again.  
  
'I wonder how I got to my quarters,' she thought and froze. If someone had taken her there while she was asleep, they could not possibly have missed that she had been crying. She hoped it was Harper or Trance, but came to her senses again.  
  
'They couldn't have carried me. Well, Harper might have been able to, but I'm taller than him and have more muscles. No, who am I kidding. It must have been Dylan. God, I hope it wasn't him. He'll ask me about it, and he already thinks I'm acting weird after that embarrassing meeting in the corridor. The best thing that could happen is that he thinks I'm having PMS or something and decides to drop the issue.' She dressed herself in some new clothes and started to walk toward command.  
  
Dylan was already there when she came, and so was Tyr. Beka glanced nervously at Dylan, but counting from his facial expression, nothing was wrong. Suddenly, she felt a hand gripping her arm from behind and was pulled into a muscular chest.  
  
'I want to talk to you later,' Tyr's deep voice mumbled. Then he let go of her. She walked a few steps away and looked back on him. He nodded slightly and raised his eyebrow. Beka felt a mix of embarrassment and relief. Well, at least it wasn't Dylan.  
  
****  
  
Dylan watched Beka's and Tyr's interaction and wondered about it. He had this strange feeling in his stomach when he saw how he pulled her close and whispered something in her ear. Jealousy? No, of course not. He had Sarah. Sarah. He thought her name in his head over and over. He hadn't seen Sarah that day, he had gone to the bridge and decided that they might be sleeping and he shouldn't disturb them. He had found he had made a lot of excuses not to see Sarah, but he pretended like he hadn't. Beka walked up to her station, clearly avoiding his gaze. The words were out of his mouth before he could even control them.  
  
'Beka,' he said, 'I would like to have a word with you in private.' She looked up at him, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. Then she appeared to regain her senses and looked down.  
  
'I can't see what we would have to talk about,' she mumbled, not meeting his eyes. She pretended to concentrate on something.  
  
'Beka,' he started warningly, but decided it was not the best way. At this point Tyr's eyebrows were practically above his head. Dylan made an attempt to continue. 'It will only take a minute. Please?' She appeared to be fighting a battle with herself, but then reluctantly looked up and met his gaze.  
  
'Okay.' she said simply. He slowly walked out from command and heard her follow. Out in the corridor, he turned to her.  
  
'I'm just wondering...is there something happening that I should know about?'  
  
****  
  
Beka shook her head, longingly looking at the doors that led back to command. Dylan looked very uncomfortable but continued.  
  
'Well, I just mean that, well, last night I was on my way to my quarters and I kind of well...I saw Tyr carrying you to your quarters. And then on the bridge...um, it's not really any of my business, but...?' She buried her face in her hands, and despite all that had happened, she actually laughed. He had got it all *completely* wrong! She felt his arm on her shoulder and realised that the shakings of laughter might look like something else. She removed her hands and shook her head.  
  
'Oh no, I fell asleep in the Maru and Tyr just carried me back to my quarters. About the bridge, I don't really know.' She saw a flash of something in his eyes. Relief?  
  
'No,' she reprimanded herself. 'Don't even go there.'  
  
'Well, about yesterday,' he continued, avoiding her gaze, 'what was that about? You seemed really sad.' She didn't know how to answer him. He saw her uncertainty and took a step closer. She felt the butterflies in her stomach at the closeness and tried to step back, but realised she was standing with her back at the wall. He hesitantly brought up his hand and stroke her hair, removing a lock of hair that had fallen down in her face. She felt the heat building up and didn't know what to do with herself.  
  
'You know you can talk to me,' he said softly, 'talk to me Beka, so I can help you.' Suddenly they heard a throat clearing and turned their heads simultaneously. Sarah.  
  
~TBC~  
  
A/N I almost fainted when I found out the other day that Kevin Sorbo is 45 and Keith Hamilton Cobb is 41! They're both so hot, I can't believe they're that old! I mean, both of them could be my father. Damn, now that dream was shattered...: p  
  
Erin Cale: Hey! Can't wait to read more of this! It'll be interesting to find out how Dylan is going to deal with suddenly having a son and fiance. Please write more soon!  
  
Natta: Oh yeah, I'm going to make him suffer! After all, he has a lot of things to be sorry for, Molly for example...  
  
D. Lerious: Loving this story! You were able to do the whole some1 from dylan's past visiting thing, in a way that made me want to read more instead of going bleh. Write more ASAP  
  
Natta: Well, I'm happy you didn't go bleh. I'd hate to get bleh on my gear. ; )  
  
TOby: This is a really good story so write more  
  
Natta: Ok.  
  
Melissa37: Good chapters. Write more soon.  
  
Natta: Thanks and I will. 


	4. An unlikely friendship

Blood is thicker than water  
  
By Natta  
  
Beta-reading by Ashley  
  
Summary: Someone unexpected turns up on the ship and makes Dylan think over his feelings for Beka. But what will happen when something is uncovered, something none of them could have known? Beka/Dylan, set somewhere in the first season.  
  
Disclaimer: Everyone together now: I don't own Andromeda lalala...  
  
Dylan immediately stepped away from Beka and smiled at Sarah.  
  
'Beka, we'll continue that discussion later okay?' Beka just nodded and half-ran back to the bridge.  
  
'What was that about?' Sarah asked, curious, not accusing. Dylan just smiled and shook his head slightly.  
  
'I just think something's bothering her but she won't tell me what it is. Nothing you need to worry about though.' She smiled and turned around, searching for something with her eyes.  
  
'I was just wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me and Ethan.' The moment she said it, the little boy shyly turned up at a corner.  
  
'Yes, that would be nice,' Dylan answered, 'what about twelve o'clock?' Sarah nodded.  
  
'I suppose you have to work now, don't you?' she asked him.  
  
'Yes. If Ethan likes, he can walk away alone around the ship to explore a little.'  
  
'Really?' Sarah's smile grew bigger. 'I think it would be nice to him not having to have me around all the time.'  
  
****  
  
Beka went onto the bridge and Tyr immediately left his station.  
  
'When I found you in the Maru yesterday,' he started in his usual cold voice, 'you had been crying.' It was not a question but a statement and completely deprived from compassion.  
  
'Yes I did,' Beka said as if it didn't bother her.  
  
'It was about Dylan, wasn't it?' She heard his voice was more gentle now, but she didn't want to answer the question.  
  
'Look Tyr, I really don't want to talk about it,' she said. Then she decided to leave command. It would get more quiet that way.  
  
Dylan saw Beka leave command and take off in another direction. He shook his head. Everything was so weird now and he didn't seem to have control over anything. Why couldn't his crew *ever* behave like normal officers?  
  
Beka decided to go to the Maru and see if she needed to do any repairs. She knew Dylan would give her a call if he needed her, and right now, she didn't want to be among other people. Then she heard steps behind her. They were very light, so she assumed it was Trance and turned around.  
  
'Oh god,' she thought, 'this is just what I don't need right now!' Behind her stood the little boy who's name she didn't know. He had stopped the moment she did, and when she started walking again, she heard he had done the same.  
  
'Damn,' she thought to herself, 'is he going to follow me all day? Well, he'll stop when I enter the Maru.' But there she was wrong. The little boy's hesitant footsteps entered after her just before she heard the soft hiss of the door's closing.  
  
'Is this your ship?' he asked in a small voice.  
  
'Yes,' Beka answered short without looking at him. She sat down at a box that stood on the floor and pretended she was looking at something really important at the wall.  
  
'It's not like the commonwealth ships,' he said, looking closely at everything and carefully touching the metal wall. Beka immediately tensed, then tried to calm herself. Even though he was just a boy, Beka had taken a bit too many scornful remarks about the Maru, and she got pissed every time. But apparently, that wasn't about to happen.  
  
'I like it,' he said and surprised her. 'The others...they look so bragging in a way.' Beka raised an eyebrow. 'Well, I mean, they're so flashy. As if they stand there and tries to show everyone how good they are. This ship seems more...relaxed, sort of. As if it wanted to say: Accept me as I am, or don't. It just seems to have a good self-confidence.' Beka smiled at him. None of the things he had said made any sense, but it was nice having someone preferring the Maru over the pretty commonwealth warships.  
  
'I'm glad you think so. I have a very special relationship to the Maru, and I wouldn't change it for a fleet of commonwealth ships.' The little boy smiled and dared to close in to her a bit.  
  
'You're lucky to have your own ship. When I grow up, I want one too.'  
  
'I bet you will too,' Beka said. She stretched out her arm and gently stroke his thick curls. He seemed a bit surprised, but not bothered. Something clicked inside Beka and she withdrew her arm, reprimanding herself.  
  
'You're not supposed to like him!' a voice in her head said angrily. 'He is Dylan's and Sarah's son, maybe the thing that holds them together.'  
  
'It's not his fault that you're in love with Dylan,' another voice said. 'Dylan could never love you even if he didn't have Sarah. It doesn't matter how much you try to blame it on this boy, he is just a sweet boy!' The latter voice took over and she smiled at the boy again.  
  
'What's your name?' she asked, tilting her head to the side and looking at him. He smiled a sweet, childish grin.  
  
'Ethan. Ethan Hunt.' Beka was a bit taken aback by the fact that she had given the child Dylan's name although she thought he was dead. 'What's yours?' he continued.  
  
'Beka Valentine.' The little boy giggled.  
  
'Valentine as in Valentine's day? Does people give you cards and kisses everyday then?' Beka couldn't help smiling, he really was cute. The thought that it was funny had crossed her mind before, when she was younger and people had asked her to "be their Valentine".  
  
'No, they don't. But it would be nice, don't you think? To get kissed everyday.' The boy was quiet for a minute, as if he was trying to decide on something. Then, before Beka could react, he had reached up and kissed her quickly at the lips. After, he blushed and turned away. She just stared at him, and then found herself laughing.  
  
'That was...nice of course.' She didn't know what else to say, but he sure looked happy about it.  
  
'I just thought you might like to be kissed,' he said. 'Since you aren't every day.' She smiled, despite the bad feeling in her stomach.  
  
'If you just knew who I'd like to be kissed by,' she thought, 'you wouldn't like me anymore.' Luckily, Ethan didn't know that, so he smiled broadly again.  
  
'Come on,' he said, 'I want to introduce you to mommy. She's always happy when I make new friends.' And he ran ahead, expecting her to follow him.  
  
'How are you going to get yourself out of this Valentine,' Beka thought as she followed the boy out of her ship. There was no escape now.  
  
~TBC~  
  
Melissa37: Very good cgapter. Write more soon.  
  
Natta: k.  
  
Iara: YAY! B/D! This is a great story. Please continue soon. ^-^  
  
Natta: There's just too few B/D stories, aren't there?  
  
MaryRose: You are going on, right? You can't just leave it like this.  
  
Natta: I am going on, and I'm sorry that it took so long. But now you get two chapters!  
  
EyeCandy: Oh great story! I want to know... are you gonna finish it? I wanna know how it ends!  
  
Natta: Of course I'm going to finish and you'll learn how it ends eventually. 


	5. Talking with the enemy

Blood is thicker than water  
  
By Natta  
  
Beta-reading by Ashley  
  
Summary: Someone unexpected turns up and makes Dylan think about his feelings for Beka. But what happens when something is uncovered, something none of them had suspected? Beka/Dylan, set somewhere in the first season.  
  
Disclaimer: Tribune entertainment forces me to write this disclaimer and I will comply with their almighty will.  
  
Beka slowly followed Ethan through the corridors, trying to make up an excuse why she shouldn't see Sarah. The little boy looked back at her all the time, impatient for her to go faster.  
  
'Maybe if I tell him...' Beka thought, 'no, that won't work. But.' she stopped. She couldn't see Sarah, she knew she was being ridiculous, but she just couldn't! Sure, she wouldn't know that Beka was in love with Dylan, but it would just be too awkward and Ethan wouldn't understand why. Ethan heard her footsteps stop and turned around.  
  
'Why aren't you coming?' he said complainingly and walked back to her. Beka leaned down, facing him.  
  
'Well, I don't think this is such a good idea Ethan, maybe.' she couldn't really come up with a good excuse and the boy frowned.  
  
'Why not?' Beka cleared her throat and then coughed, trying to win some time.  
  
'Well, I.I.' Ethan shook his head.  
  
'Come on now!' Beka rose again as he ran ahead of her and then turned around, looking at her expectantly. She took a deep breath and continued to reluctantly walk behind him. Soon they reached a room where Ethan stopped in front of and the door automatically opened. When they step in, Beka froze in her tracks and her eyes widened. In the room, Sarah and Dylan were kissing each other. Beka felt as if someone had stabbed a knife in her heart. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought vaguely that Dylan didn't look as if he liked the kiss, but that voice was soon overthrown with confusion and pain. Beka desperately tried to gain control of her feelings. The kiss broke the moment they heard someone entered and Beka made a silent prayer she at least looked fairly normal.  
  
Sarah had kissed him so suddenly he hadn't had time to react, and he didn't feel good about the kiss, it had been a bit violent and dominant. But since when hadn't he liked that kind of kisses? He looked at the side and saw that Ethan and strangely enough, Beka had entered the room. She looked slightly shocked, staring at them. Somehow, he didn't feel good about her seeing them kissing. He didn't really know why though. He seemed to have a lot of weird feelings this day.  
  
'Mom!' Ethan said excited, 'I found a new friend!'  
  
'Oh that's nice,' she said softly and then looked up to Beka with her eyebrows slightly raised and a crooked smile on her face. Beka managed to smile weakly back. Ethan looked from Sarah, to Dylan, to Beka and then his face lit up.  
  
'Couldn't we do something funny, all of us together?' he exclaimed happily. Dylan noticed Beka got pale and she started to back towards the exit.  
  
'I just realized.I have to go do.something,' she said and made a quick exit. Ethan looked at her leaving, then looked back with a frown on his face.  
  
'What was wrong with her?' Sarah answered something in her soft voice, but Dylan barely heard what they said. Had Beka's voice.trembled? He had never heard her voice tremble before. (Ok, maybe he has, so sue me) He regained his composure and turned to Sarah.  
  
'I'm just going to go talk to her, she's been acting really strange ever since you got here, I want to know why.' He moved toward the exit but Sarah's call stopped him.  
  
'No Dylan. Stay here with Ethan and I will go talk to her.' Dylan turned to her with a surprised look on his face.  
  
'O.kay,' he said slowly. Sarah left the room leaving Dylan and Ethan behind her.  
  
'Cause I think I know what's wrong,' she added silently. None of them noticed the small tear in the corner of her eye.  
  
Beka was sitting in the pilot's chair on the Maru, just staring at the stars. She had started crying again when she got there, but stopped rather quickly. She had washed her face with cold water and now looked rather presentable again. She heard the doors open and cursed herself for not making sure they were locked.  
  
'It's probably Dylan, coming to confront me of my weird behavior. What am I going to say?' she thought and rolled her eyes. 'Gee Dylan, I'm madly in love with you but I know you want your family, so can we still be friends?' She almost laughed when she tried to figure what he would answer to that.  
  
'Why isn't he coming?' she thought, 'isn't he going to get into that heroic "I'm a high guard and I can solve everything" mode and try to consol me about.well something?' She looked behind her and didn't saw Dylan, but it was Sarah, leaning against the doorpost, watching the stars. Suddenly, she looked down and met Beka's eyes.  
  
'They're beautiful aren't they?' she said quietly. 'The stars. I can see why you find comfort in them. You did all your life, didn't you?' Beka frowned.  
  
'How do you know?' Sarah smiled a sad little smile.  
  
'Because Dylan told me.' Beka couldn't possibly frown any more now.  
  
'He told you? Why?' Sarah shrugged.  
  
'He tells me a lot of things about you. He likes talking about you I think.' She walked over and sat down on the floor next to Beka who slid down to so they were at the same height. They were quiet for a moment, just staring at the stars until Beka spoke, still just looking in front of her.  
  
'Doesn't that bother you?' Sarah just shrugged.  
  
'It did at first, I was a bit jealous.' This made Beka flinch, but she didn't say anything. 'But I guess he talks as much about me when he's with you.' Beka didn't know what to answer to this, she barely knew anything about Sarah. The other woman noticed her awkwardness and smiled.  
  
'Don't worry, I'm just joking. I know he doesn't.' Beka decided to change the subject.  
  
'Why did you come here?' Sarah smiled slightly.  
  
'Dylan said he was going to talk to you about what's been bothering you lately, I stopped him.'  
  
'Why?' Beka asked confused.  
  
'Don't mistake me, Dylan is nice, but sometimes he can't see what lies clearly in front of his eyes. Or know what he really feels.' She looked at Beka with a clear gaze, although pain could be distinguished in her eyes.  
  
'He loves you and you love him. I'm not happy about it, but I can't deny it either.' She rose to her feet and left before Beka had a chance to say anything.  
  
'No,' Beka thought, 'that isn't right. He doesn't love me. He doesn't love me.' She repeated it until it became like a mantra in her head. Soon, she couldn't stand it anymore, and half-consciously said it out loud.  
  
'He doesn't love me for heavens sake!'  
  
'Beka.who doesn't love you?' Beka gave a small scream and jumped around. Behind her, with a worried frown on his face, stood Dylan.  
  
~TBC~ 


	6. Feelings uncovered

Blood is thicker than water  
  
By Natta  
  
Beta-reading by Ashley  
  
Summary: Someone unexpected turns up and makes Dylan think about his feelings for Beka. But what happens when something is uncovered, something none of them had suspected? Beka/Dylan, set somewhere in the first season.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Andromeda. (Ok, so I'm having a boring day, deal with it.)  
  
Beka's eyes widened as she looked at Dylan who stood there and looked at her, expecting an answer.  
  
'I.don't.know,' she said finally, and cursed herself for giving the most stupid answer in history. 'I think I have to go now, I promised.to do.something.' She ran up to the door and tried to pass Dylan, but he grabbed her arm, pulling her back.  
  
'Oh no,' he said, you're not leaving anywhere until you tell me what's going on.' She looked behind her shoulder, on the floor, anywhere but to him.  
  
'You've been acting strange now for a while, ever since the crew from the Aphendix arrived here. I want you to talk to me and tell me what's going on.' Beka still didn't say anything, she didn't know what and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to speak. 'Now I guess I know parts of it,' Dylan continued. He made a pause and looked down, trying to catch her gaze and failing. 'Who is it? Tyr?' She looked up at him, her eyes wide.  
  
'No! No.it's no one Dylan, it really isn't.' His eyes narrowed and he studied her closely. It looked as if he was about to say something bur Beka shook herself free and ran away.  
  
****  
  
Dylan had a really hard time sleeping that night. He tossed and turned in bed, not being able to keep his mind off Beka and just what was wrong with her.  
  
'Drop it,' he reprimanded himself, 'her love problems is none of my business.' But he found it hard, and just a few minutes later, he was thinking about it again.  
  
'Who could it be? It's not Tyr, she wasn't lying about that, I'm sure of that. Couldn't possibly be Harper.one of the Aphendix crew? It could be possible I guess, but there was only two men aboard, one of them over fifty years old. So.it had to be that Jenkins guy in that case, but Beka hasn't spoke a word to him, to any of them. That leaves.' he sat up in bed, his eyes wide. 'Me. But.that's impossible.'  
  
'Or is it?' a small voice in the back of his head said. 'Just think about it, the shocked expression when she saw me kiss Sarah, the way she walked away on the Aphendix, avoiding me lately. It isn't that impossible.' He shook his head and tried to lie down again, to go back to sleep, but he couldn't.  
  
'God,' he said out loud, 'I've got to go talk to her.' He got out of bed and started to get dressed.  
  
'Rommie,' he said and the hologram popped up, 'where is Beka?'  
  
'She's in the Maru,' Rommie answered, 'but she's sleeping.' Dylan nodded.  
  
'Okay, thanks.' Rommie disappeared and Dylan finished dressing. He took a deep breath and left his quarters, heading for the Maru.  
  
Dylan walked around the ship, trying to find Beka. At last he did. She was lying on one of the beds, sound asleep. He stood there for a little while, admiring her, before taking a step closer. He wasn't certain about how to proceed, should he wake her or not? But he didn't have to wait for long. At the sound of his steps, Beka woke up with a start, sitting up. When she saw Dylan, she gave a small gasp and pulled up the quilt to cover herself. Dylan tried to ignore the fact that she wasn't wearing anything and that he had seen a flash of her upper body before she noticed him. He had never been able to imagine she'd look so beautiful.  
  
'Why.' Beka whispered, 'why are you here?' Dylan looked at her, careful not to move his gaze lower than her face.  
  
'I was.thinking about.earlier.' A dark cloud passed Beka's face and she looked away.  
  
'Could you drop that?' she asked in a low voice. 'I don't want you to play the understanding psychologist. Why can't you just leave me alone, I promise that I can work this out on my own.' Dylan looked down.  
  
'I guess maybe I deserve that and you're right, I shouldn't push you to tell me everything about your private life. But I'm not here as your captain, or your psychologist.'  
  
'You're here as my friend,' Beka muttered. 'I don't want to talk to you Dylan, why can't you understand that. I don't want a friend.'  
  
'Actually,' Dylan continued slowly, 'I'm not here as your friend either. I don't know what I'm here like, but I wouldn't do this if I didn't think.'  
  
'Think what?' Beka broke off. 'That whatever's wrong with me is interfering with my duties? If it is, just say so and I'll fix it.' Dylan frustrated shook his head.  
  
'That wasn't what I was going to say, but you're obviously not interested in what I have to say.' He expected her to interrupt, but she didn't. 'Then.watch what I do instead and then you can judge.  
  
Without warning, he leaned in and gave her a deep kiss. He wrapped his arms around her, not caring that she was still unclothed, and she shuddered at his touch, giving a slight moan as his tongue roamed her mouth. When they broke the kiss, gasping for air, the quilt had fallen down, but none of them really noticed.  
  
'I guess I was right then,' Dylan mumbled, his arms not leaving her back.  
  
'Yeah, you were,' Beka whispered, out of breath both from the kiss and the shock. 'But.what about Sarah? And Ethan?' Dylan frowned.  
  
'I don't know what to say to them. I've realized that I don't love Sarah anymore,' he paused. 'Or of course I love her, I will always love her, but I'm not in love with her. I simply love her as a friend. But.I don't know how to tell her.'  
  
'She came to talk to me before,' Beka mumbled. 'Dylan, she knew all along. She's a great woman you know. She told me you were in love with me, that she knew that.'  
  
'She gave up her own happiness,' Dylan whispered. 'She wanted us to be happy, she knew I love someone else, so she gave me up.' Then he paused. 'Wasn't that what you did too?'  
  
'Yeah, I guess,' Beka said. 'Except.that I was the lucky one in the end.'  
  
~TBC~  
  
A/N You thought that was the end? Gotcha! I've got more twists for ya yet, so hang on!  
  
Melissa37: Good chapter write more soon  
  
Natta: You write pretty much the same thing every time.are all my chapters the same?  
  
Iara: WOW! This is amazing. Please continue soon.  
  
Natta: Thank you lol  
  
MaryRose: What's she going to say now? What timing Dylan has, hunh?  
  
Natta: Dylan has a perfect timing and Beka had a hard time getting out of that one. 


	7. The discovery

Blood is thicker than water  
  
By Natta  
  
Beta-reading by Ashley  
  
Summary: Someone unexpected turns up and makes Dylan think about his feelings for Beka. But what happens when something is uncovered, something none of them had suspected? Beka/Dylan, set somewhere in the first season.  
  
Disclaimer: To own or not to own...that is the question?  
  
Dylan was pacing his quarters, walking back and forth. He didn't know what to do. Suddenly the doorbell ringed and he jumped high in the air, then tried to calm himself down.  
  
"Ok," he thought, "it'll be okay" He opened the door to let Sarah in. He swallowed deeply and she gave him a sad little smile.  
  
"It's ok," she said. "I know what you're going to say." Dylan breathed out and looked at her.  
  
"You do?" She nodded and walked closer to him.  
  
"Yes, I helped it happen you know. Look, I wouldn't want to be with someone who loves someone else anyway. Please don't feel sorry for me." Dylan was just going to answer when he heard Rommie's VO.  
  
"Dylan please report to command. I think we found something."  
  
****  
  
One week later, things had calmed down again. The crew of the Aphendix had returned to their own time, Sarah and Ethan had gone with them. Beka and Dylan was sitting on his couch. They had just been sitting there for one hour when Dylan suddenly broke the silence.  
  
"I thought about something. If I have a child in the past, maybe I have some descendants in this time." He rose from the couch. "I have to go look at that."  
  
"Dylan..." Beka said and raised her head. But he was already out of the room.  
  
Dylan was checking all the computers, trying to find something. He was so excited, maybe he could find someone he was related to in this time! He just hoped they weren't his enemies or something. Since it had been so long time, there were a lot of people and he looked through them, but didn't see anyone he knew. Suddenly a face showed up that he recognised, and he looked back.  
  
"No. Not happening." he thought with his eyes wide and checked the name. Yes. It was right.  
  
"Most certainly not enemy," he thought.  
  
****  
  
"How's it going with your family research?" Beka asked cheerfully as they sat down to have lunch together. Dylan lowered his gaze and started to fiddle with the fork.  
  
"Just fine," he mumbled. Beka frowned. Why was he acting so weird?  
  
"Um," she said a bit slower, "found anyone you know?" Dylan quickly shook his head.  
  
"No, I didn't." He didn't say anything more, and Beka decided to end the discussion.  
  
****  
  
Later that night, Dylan marched into Beka's quarters without knocking. She had just taken a shower and took a small jump when she saw him and fell down on the floor. She looked angry as she brought herself up.  
  
"This is it!" she yelled, "you've been rude to me all day, avoiding me, not talking to me, not touching me, and now you just go in here! Would you please tell me what is going on?" Dylan put a hand on her arm and eased her down on the couch, then sitting next to her himself. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth. This was going to be hard to say.  
  
"Beka...I have something to tell you." She nodded. "When I did that research on descendants, I did find someone I know." He paused, not wanting to say this. Beka looked worried.  
  
"Dylan...who was it?" He took a deep breath.  
  
"You. Beka, it was you."  
  
~TBC~ 


	8. Something not quite right

Beka sat silent for a few moments before she spoke.

"That's...amazing. And so weird." Dylan nodded, and she frowned. "And that's why you've been so cold towards me?" He nodded again.

"It was quite a big shock, as you can imagine." She nodded.

"Well, why didn't you just tell me? I mean, it's really cool isn't it?" Dylan shrugged.

"I don't know. This changes everything, doesn't it?" She slowly shook her head.

"Please don't say what I think you're going to say..." She wrapped the towel tighter around her. He nodded.

"I'm really sorry Beka," he said and rose to leave. "I can't be with you. Not now." Tears started forming in her eyes and she furiously blinked them away.

"Did this week mean nothing to you then?" she said, standing up, facing him head-on. He looked down.

"Beka, don't make this any harder than it already is."

"Answer me." He sighed.

"It's been amazing, it's just...I need some time to think." And he left. Beka sat back down on the couch and buried her face in her hands. She couldn't believe this was happening. So much angst before she could be happy, and now...she'd been betrayed again. Just like always.

Dylan went back into his quarters and slumped down on a chair. He couldn't believe what he'd just done. The relationship with Beka had been what he'd wanted for so long, and now he'd just thrown it all away. He played with the thought of going back and begging for her to take him back, but quickly discarded the thought.

"I can't play her anymore," he thought sadly, "I love her, but I can't be with her." He looked at the flexi again, and cursed his decision to look for descendants. Still, now he knew, he couldn't ignore it. Rommie popped up.

"Dylan, what's going on?" He gave her a tired look and sighed.

"What?" She put her arms behind her back in a very stern position.

"You just left Beka's quarters, and she doesn't seem very happy." Dylan frowned.

"Are you spying on her?" Rommie sighed.

"I wouldn't normally, but I'm worried."

"What do you mean?" Rommie glanced at him.

"I think she might be having a fit. She's naked and she's shaking violently on the floor. Not very Beka-like." Dylan hung his head.

"Rommie, I really didn't need to know that." Rommie's eyes turned to slits.

"Oh, I think you do. I know you're used to all these one-night-stands, love 'em and leave 'em. Beka's not like that. She loves you and you used her. I thought you were better than this, Dylan." She popped away.

Harper was fiddling with his machines when Rommie suddenly popped up.

"Harper," she said, "I think you should go see Beka." Harper frowned.

"Any special reason?" he asked. Rommie hesitated.

"I think she needs you. It's Dylan." Harper's face turned red.

"I'm going to kill the bastard," he said as he ran towards Beka's quarters. When he arrived there, he found her stark naked in a ball on the floor, sobbing violently. He'd seen her naked plenty of times before when things weren't as luxurious as on Andromeda, so he wasn't embarrassed. He ran up to her and held her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder.

Dylan threw the flexi on the floor. He knew he'd done the wrong thing but still...he couldn't let go of the thought that they were related, however distantly.

"They say blood is thicker than water," he thought, "so do I love Beka...because of that?"


	9. Holding grudges

Harper was worried. He'd seen Beka betrayed by men plenty of times, but she'd never been this upset.

"Are you sleeping?" he whispered. A quiet sob told him otherwise. He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"What's happening Beka?" he mumbled. "I've never seen you like this before. Not with Bobby, not with anyone." Beka turned around to him.

"I didn't love Bobby. I thought I did, but I didn't. It's so different this time. I was ready to give him up because of Sarah. Then he said he loved me and it felt like it was really going to happen this time. But I guess I was just dreaming. I'm not meant to be happy, am I Harper? I guess I don't deserve it." Harper quickly hugged her tight.

"No, that's not it! You've just been unlucky, that's all. I love you, you know that!" Beka wiped her tears away.

"You don't love me in that way. I really thought it was going to be for real." She whimpered. "I guess I was wrong. Maybe you should leave now Harper." Harper squirmed.

"Are you sure Beka? I don't mind staying with you if you want." Beka shook her head furiously.

"No Harper," she mumbled, "you've done enough for me." Harper sighed and stood up.

"You know where I am if you need me," he said softly as he walked out the door. Beka didn't answer.

"Why isn't anyone talking to me?" Dylan thought agitated as he was walking through the empty decks. He knew the answer though. "Was I that cruel?" he asked himself. He shook his head. He'd broken up with her. So what? People do that every day. It wasn't as if he dumped her for someone else, he explained fully why it wouldn't work between them. Ok, maybe he didn't explain it properly but still...he sighed. He knew all he was saying was true, but yet it wasn't...it was different, it really was. He knew about Beka's past. He knew how hard it was for her to love.

"How could I do this?" his mind briefly allowed the fleeting thought through. "How could I hurt her like this?" He shook the thought away quickly. "Don't be ridiculous," he reprimanded himself, "you haven't done anything wrong." And with that thought firmly in his head, Dylan Hunt entered his command deck. The icy gaze of two people met him. Rommie's and Harper's. He sighed. Harper he could understand, as he was practically Beka's brother he would be caring for her. But Rommie? She'd always been on his side. It was those pair of eyes that made him doubt himself again. He looked around again. Tyr was ignoring him totally, but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary. One person was missing. He sighed. Beka. He decided to tempt fate.

"Harper," he said sternly, "where's Beka?" Harper put on an innocent expression.

"Why," he said, "I thought you'd know, you're going out, aren't you?" He pretended to just remember, "Oh no, I forgot! You led her on, pretended you loved her, and then dumped her, didn't you? Silly me!" The engineer's eyes flashed angrily at him before he turned around. Dylan sighed.

"Rommie, could you find out why Beka isn't on her post please?" Rommie looked at him with empty eyes.

"Yes captain," she said in an emotionless voice. Dylan flinched. She always called him Dylan. "I sent my hologram to her quarters," she explained after a few seconds, "but she's not there." Dylan sighed.

"Go down to the Maru," he said, "I suspect she might be there." Rommie left without answering.

Beka was sitting in the pilots chair aboard the Maru, watching the stars. She hadn't slept at all that night. She just didn't know what to do.

"How can I stay here," she thought to herself, "stay here and see him everyday?" She shook her head. Simple. She couldn't face him again. When he didn't know she loved him it wasn't too bad. "No one who's dumped me before has ever stayed around for the aftermath," she thought. "I don't know how to deal with it!" Suddenly, Rommie came in.

"The captain sent me to find you," she said softly. Beka frowned.

"Since when do you call him the captain?" she asked. Rommie hesitated.

"We all know what happened Beka," she replied, "and we're really sorry." Beka dropped her head.

"Oh brilliant. Everyone knows." Rommie went up and kneeled in front of her.

"Beka," she said, "we know you got hurt. None of us know why he did what he did, but you can't let it break you down. You can do this, you can be strong. Rise above this, rise above what he did to you." Beka laughed cynically.

"You know what the worst thing is?" Rommie shook her head. "He only dumped me, right? It's not a crime. It's something that happens to everyone. He's not a bastard, he's just a normal guy. So why does it hurt so much?" Rommie looked down.

"Beka, if this was a normal break-up, do you think we'd all be so mad with him?" Beka held up a finger.

"Whoah! You're all...mad with him? Why?"

"We know what you've been through Beka," Rommie said, "we know how hard love is for you. But we..." Beka stood up quickly.

"Oh! So you all know that I'm weak and can't handle anything? Well, I'll tell you something. I can handle this on my own. I don't need any of you!" She strode out, and Rommie watched her, arms hanging by her sides.

"...also know how strong you are," she finished helplessly.


	10. Change of heart

Rommie leaned back against the bulkhead and sighed.

"Beka's been locked in the Maru for three days now," she said, "Dylan's pretending it doesn't bother him, Trance hasn't been herself, you're furious and I'm stuck in the middle. The only one unaffected is Tyr." Harper gazed at her.

"She means a lot to me all right?" Harper said, "I'm tired of seeing her hurt." He turned back to the panel he was working at. Rommie looked down.

"I don't know," she said, "but maybe you should talk to her. I mean, I'm not pretending to side with Dylan, because I don't, but...well, this is becoming ridiculous. She needs to go back on duty." Harper gave her an glance and let go of his tools.

"I know," he sighed, "it's really affecting all of us, isn't it? But all the same...she's never pushed me when I was like that. You know, hiding away, moping about something for too long. She never told me to get over myself. The least I can do is do the same for her." Rommie shrugged.

"And you think that's what's best for her?" Harper sighed.

"Probably not," he said, "but I don't think she wants to know what's best for her. People generally don't." Rommie nodded in agreement.

"I know," she sighed, "but still..."

Beka was moping. She knew she was, but she didn't want to stop.

"How can I go out there and pretend like nothing happened?" she asked herself. She was really embarrassed. After a couple of days of going over it in her mind, she'd been putting herself down over and over again. Things like "How can I blame him? Who could ever love me anyway?" and "How could I be so stupid and believe he could love me?" were regular visitors to her mind. Suffice to say, things weren't going very well. She'd been toying with the thought of leaving, but it didn't appeal to her.

"I have to be reasonable," she thought. "One failed love affair and I take off? Do I abandon my crew or do I rip them away from their lives here? Nuh-uh." She shook her head. It wasn't an option. And she couldn't very well just stay in the Maru forever. That left one option...

"Ok," she said. "This is it. Make the most of it."

Dylan was sitting in his quarters, thinking. Had he done the right thing? He liked to think so, but he wasn't so sure anymore.

"I still love her," he thought, "but is it only because we're related? People always love their family. I know this is different, but she's my descendant. It's just wrong, isn't it?" He shook his head.

"Captain?" He turned his head and saw the hologram of Rommie had popped up. "Beka is asking for permission to come in." Dylan's head flinched up, and a weird flicker of hope lit within him. He frowned. He was the one who broke up with her, right? So why was he feeling excited?

"Uh," he tried to collect himself, "let her in." The doors opened to reveal Beka, cool and collected.

"Captain Hunt," she said in an empty voice that chilled Dylan. She didn't seem upset, but she seemed so cold towards him. "I would like to apologise for not turning up for duty. It won't happen again." He nodded to her.

"Um, Beka..." she glanced at him.

"If that's all," she interrupted, "I'll see you on the bridge tomorrow." She left and the doors shut behind her. Dylan stood there for a few minutes, and then something hit him. How stupid he had been! He ran out of the doors and shouted.

"Beka!!!"  



	11. Too little, too late

"Beka!!!" Dylan called. Beka stopped and turned around.

"Yes?" she said in a professional voice. Dylan stopped, now unsure of what to say.

"Beka, I'm so sorry," he stuttered. "I don't know why I did that. I still love you Beka, and I want to be with you. It doesn't matter if we're related, I mean, I was being ridiculous, but I can see clearly now." Beka looked at him with teary eyes.

"Dylan..." she said, "I can't do this. I've been betrayed too many times. I can't be with you now, cause I'll just never know if you'll let me down again. I'm sorry." And she turned around and left, leaving Dylan with his mouth hanging open.

The news of what was going on quickly spread across the ship, but would never be mentioned in Beka's or Dylan's presence. If they knew, they'd be horrified to know their personal lives had divided the crew. However, these feelings were dealt with outside of their knowledge...

"Captain Valentine is being petty," Tyr suddenly said out loud one day in command. Dylan and Beka weren't there, but other than that, the crew was accounted for.

"What do you mean?" Harper said in a hostile tone. Tyr gave him a deadly look.

"She's letting her petty fears get in the way for something that could be a good arrangement," he muttered. "Her and Captain Hunt would very clearly make a good couple and produce good offspring, but it doesn't look as if that's going to happen now."

"Whoah-whoah-whoah!" Harper said, walking towards him, "he was the one who split them up in the first place." Tyr glanced at him, unaffected.

"An unfortunate mistake on his part," Tyr remarked. "However, she's letting the grudge stand..." Harper broke him off.

"Stop talking about stuff you know nothing about!" He cried, "she's been through a lot, ok? She can't just forget about what he did and move on! Nietzcheans might work like that, but humans don't!" He almost looked as though he was about to attack Tyr, but Trance pulled him back.

"Harper!" she reprimanded him, "I agree with you, but there's no reason to get violent and argumentative!" Rommie popped up.

"While I do agree with the non-violence, Tyr makes an excellent point. Dylan did make a bad mistake, a hurtful one at that," everyone noted she was calling him by name again, "but she should see that it's in her best interests to forgive him. She's denying them both a happy future because of one mistake." Trance let go of Harper and strode up to Rommie.

"How can you say that?" she cried, "these things take time! If Beka's going to forgive Dylan, he'll have to do better than just a simple sorry." Harper rolled his eyes.

"Now who's being argumentative?" A coughing sound from behind them brought their attention.

"What the hell is going on?" Harper's lip trembled.

"Uh, boss," he said, "um, how long have you been standing there?" The blonde pilot strode up to him.

"Long enough," she snapped. "Now I don't know what you think you're doing, but our personal lives are not up for discussion, all right? What happened happened, and it's between me and Dylan, is that clear?" She got no answer as everyone was looking right through her and shook her head in frustration. "Fine," she said, "fine. I'm leaving." She turned around, and suddenly realised what everyone had been staring at. Dylan. She waved her arms in a dejected way.

"This is a right little party, isn't it?" she sighed. Dylan walked up to them.

"What exactly is going on here?" Beka sighed and walked straight past him. He followed.

"Beka," he said when they left command, "what was going on?" She turned around with an agitated look on her face.

"The crew have been taking sides in discussing our personal lives. I don't know about you but..."

"Shush," Dylan said, coming up close to her. "Beka, don't you think we need to talk?" Beka looked down.

"I don't know Dylan. I've been going this over in my mind thousands of times," she admitted, "but I just can't see this working out. I'll be scared, all the time, that you'll change your mind again." He shook his head.

"I won't. I promise you Beka, I won't let anything stand in our way again. I was being stupid." She tried to avoid eye contact. He tilted his head. "Please? Just talk." She looked up at him.

"Ok then," she agreed. "We'll talk."


	12. New beginnings

"Ok," Beka turned around and took a deep breath. "Talk." Dylan cleared his throat.

"All right. Beka, I'm so sorry about what happened, I've already told you this. Now, you might not be ready to forgive me, but I think we could have a great time together. It would be a shame if this had to destroy everything between us." Beka looked up at him.

"Dylan, we were going out for a week. It wasn't like we'd been married for 20 years." Dylan walked up and grabbed her shoulders.

"No, but I hope we will be. It doesn't matter if it had been 20 years, a year, a week, a day! I've loved you since the first day I saw you, Beka. I know this can be great." Beka looked away from him, blinking away tears.

"Why, Dylan?" she said softly. "If you feel like this, why did you do it?" Dylan sighed.

"I don't know Beka. I guess I thought I was doing the right thing, you know. And also..." his voice faded out. Beka gave him an interested look.

"What?" He smiled nervously.

"No, I don't know. Maybe it's stupid." She shook her head.

"No, tell me." He smiled nervously.

"Well, you know, we're related right?" Beka nodded. "So I thought...well blood is thicker than water, you've heard that expression I'm sure, and I thought...well maybe I just loved you because we're related." She stepped away with a disbelieving snort.

"I can't believe you Dylan Hunt," she cried. "Oh yeah, I forgot," she said sarcastically, "I was only born...oh I don't know...315 years later than you. So obviously we're very closely related, aren't we?" She turned around from him, not wanting to let him see her crying. He walked up to her and hugged her from behind.

"I know I was being ridiculous. I know it's stupid, but it was such a shock!" She turned around, marks of tears tracing her face.

"You don't think it was a shock to me then?" she snapped, "but you didn't see me breaking it up because of some stupid idea, do you? If you think you love me because we're related, you obviously can't love me very much!" Dylan held her close, even as she fought to escape.

"Oh, Beka, if you only knew. I don't know what I was thinking, but I just beg of you. Ask yourself what you want, don't let your pride get in the way!" She pulled herself away from him.

"I'm trying, but I'm scared." she said quietly. "I'm scared if I let myself back into this you'll just abandon me again." Dylan sighed.

"That's always a risk Beka," he said, "but I'll never let you go again, I promise. Can we please give it another chance?" She gave him a cheeky look through her eyelashes.

"Well, ok then," she said, "after all...we're family, right?"

The End


End file.
